EDMONTON - A business organization says too much debate is making it difficult to develop Canada's economy.

The Alberta Enterprise Group says there is too much talk about why proposed pipelines, power lines, mines and hydroelectric projects should not be built.

The group's president, Tim Shipton, says the focus should instead be on why such projects should go ahead.

He says the country is being paralyzed by special interests and complacency and it is time for Canadians to deal with what he calls — quote — "internal blockades."

The group includes Enbridge (TSX:ENB), the firm behind the proposed $6 billion Northern Gateway pipeline that would ship crude derived from Alberta's oilsands to the B.C. coast.

Shipton says the situation is putting jobs and profits at risk, as well as revenues that help pay for government programs.

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Oilsands Investment Benefits

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If unhindered, it's estimated that expected investment in the oilsands will result in 100,000 new jobs a year for the next 13 years, either directly or in companies supplying goods and services.

As much as 54% of the benefits accrued from ongoing investments in the Alberta oilsands will stay in Alberta.

Within Canada, the biggest winner outside Alberta is Ontario, which is expected to benefit from 10,000 new jobs per year.

British Columbia comes next with approximately 5,400 new jobs per year. Alberta and B.C. are currently locked in a fight surrounding the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, which would carry bitumen from the Alberta oilsands to the B.C. coast for shipping to Asian markets.

The prairies would gain 2,700 new jobs per year.

Quebec would benefit from approximately 2,500 new jobs a year.

Atlantic Canada can expect to see approximately 530 jobs a year, says the study.

Other countries will reap approximately 27 per cent of the benefits from continued, expected investment in the oilsands. In the U.S., 8,300 jobs a year

The biggest benefactor of continued investment in the oilsands outside Alberta would be the U.S., with 8,300 new jobs being created each year.But the benefits for the U.S. extend beyond mere jobs alone.